Block Play Session: Nebraska Extension Family Engagement Conference

Linda Reddish Author

09/15/2022 Added

14 Plays

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Here are some ideas to play at home with blocks and make it a fun teaching opportunity for your children to do at home.

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[00:00:01.020]Hi, my name's Linda Reddish.
[00:00:03.180]I'm an early childhood extension educator
[00:00:06.630]with the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
[00:00:09.120]Thanks so much for joining us today
[00:00:10.800]on this conference for families
[00:00:12.930]who are just interested in learning a little bit more
[00:00:15.000]about different ways that they can engage
[00:00:17.280]and play with their children at home.
[00:00:19.440]Our particular section
[00:00:20.790]that we're gonna talk about is block play.
[00:00:23.070]I don't know about you,
[00:00:23.940]but I have so many fond memories playing
[00:00:26.730]with Lincoln Logs, Legos, different sizes
[00:00:30.540]of huge cardboard box when I was in preschool.
[00:00:34.890]The other part I remember though, is making boxes at home
[00:00:38.160]out of cardboard boxes and serial boxes.
[00:00:40.950]And so today, we really wanna explore a little bit more
[00:00:43.710]about what is block play and why is it
[00:00:46.380]such a great opportunity
[00:00:49.080]to really engage as a play partner with your child
[00:00:52.530]and what children learn from blocks.
[00:00:57.270]So, as I mentioned, you know, why do we pick block play
[00:01:01.290]for our particular section to talk about?
[00:01:03.990]Well, this is the great thing about blocks.
[00:01:07.530]It's really a catchall
[00:01:10.440]for all of the different learning areas
[00:01:12.990]that children learn from.
[00:01:15.030]Whether it's science, math, reading,
[00:01:17.880]developing their motor skills, or, you know,
[00:01:21.000]going on a scientific experiment,
[00:01:23.820]blocks really does hit all of these different areas.
[00:01:28.890]We know that for the most part,
[00:01:31.470]adults really enjoy doing block play with children.
[00:01:34.170]It's something that many of us can kind of remember doing
[00:01:37.410]when we were younger.
[00:01:38.940]And so, using blocks as a way to support
[00:01:42.330]children's development is a really great activity
[00:01:45.870]that's usually available and found
[00:01:49.350]both in homes and in school settings.
[00:01:54.420]We know blocks are fun and simple.
[00:01:57.090]Again, how many of you right now can think of
[00:01:59.714]at least two or three cardboard boxes that you have
[00:02:02.340]at home that you could build and make a tower from?
[00:02:05.130]Or maybe you got a huge basket or bucket of Legos
[00:02:10.140]that an older child is no longer interested in playing with.
[00:02:14.070]These are really great tools for engaging with your child.
[00:02:19.080]We also know, again, like I said earlier,
[00:02:21.360]about how block play really helps children's learning.
[00:02:24.955]When children are playing side by side,
[00:02:27.270]they're having to work together with one another,
[00:02:29.550]but they're also thinking about all the different ways
[00:02:32.760]in which blocks might be used.
[00:02:37.020]So we're gonna talk a little bit here
[00:02:38.970]about each of those different learning areas
[00:02:40.800]that I mentioned just in the last slide,
[00:02:42.630]like science, math, social emotional development.
[00:02:46.680]So let's start there.
[00:02:49.440]Social emotional development is
[00:02:53.220]a particular area that children develop
[00:02:55.920]throughout their whole lives.
[00:02:58.560]What's helpful to know is that the social piece of this
[00:03:01.650]is really about how children learn
[00:03:03.900]to interact with others in this world.
[00:03:07.830]So like the ability to cooperate and share,
[00:03:10.590]but also it's the ability to reflect on their emotions
[00:03:14.400]and be able to name their emotions.
[00:03:16.110]And how do they then react if they're feeling
[00:03:18.870]a particular emotion like frustration
[00:03:21.570]when they're playing with others?
[00:03:23.250]So we're thinking about social and emotional development.
[00:03:25.650]When it comes to blocks,
[00:03:27.450]there's a couple of key things that children learn.
[00:03:30.630]So what do I learn as a child when I play with blocks?
[00:03:33.750]Well, I learn how to share.
[00:03:36.480]For example, look at that number one over there:
[00:03:38.970]Let's share this red block.
[00:03:41.670]Learning how to solve problems,
[00:03:43.080]if they're working with someone else
[00:03:44.610]Like, "How do you wanna stack it?"
[00:03:46.230]Or "Should I stack it?"
[00:03:48.420]Taking opportunities to cooperate with siblings,
[00:03:51.150]You know, saying something like,
[00:03:52.867]"I noticed your sister wants to place that block
[00:03:55.537]"on the bottom.
[00:03:56.370]"Did you hear that idea?" so that they're learning
[00:03:58.920]that opportunity to do some self-control and really listen
[00:04:01.680]to what it is someone else might be saying.
[00:04:04.230]And then, "I hear you saying, you wanna make a barn
[00:04:08.227]"for the animals," so that opportunity to make decisions,
[00:04:12.930]giving them choices with what they're doing with the blocks.
[00:04:16.050]And I don't know about you,
[00:04:17.160]but when I think about cleanup time and self-control,
[00:04:20.790]sometimes kids don't wanna end, right?
[00:04:23.010]They're feeling frustrated or they don't wanna be rushed.
[00:04:25.500]So using blocks is an opportunity to say,
[00:04:27.577]"You know, it's really time for us to clean up
[00:04:29.257]"and put the Legos in the basket,
[00:04:31.117]"but what color do you wanna start with?
[00:04:33.367]"I think I might start with red.
[00:04:34.837]"What are you gonna pick?"
[00:04:37.110]There's some other words, too, that you can
[00:04:39.390]continue to incorporate as you play with blocks.
[00:04:42.810]Like, "I need some help," or
[00:04:45.127]"Would you like some help placing that object
[00:04:47.797]"up on top?"
[00:04:49.650]Things like start and stop.
[00:04:51.067]"It's your turn to go first and then I'll go."
[00:04:54.420]Or asking questions again to just give more opportunities
[00:04:57.420]to make decisions like,
[00:04:58.537]"I wonder" or "How might you," or,
[00:05:00.457]"Have you thought about?"
[00:05:04.260]Now let's move in the area of science.
[00:05:06.270]So again, let's zero in on what do I learn when I play,
[00:05:12.780]and with blocks specific to science?
[00:05:17.310]Blocks are a great opportunity to compare, you know,
[00:05:21.090]tall, short, long, narrow, wide.
[00:05:28.230]They also are an excellent tool to do some prediction.
[00:05:32.550]So when you're playing with blocks, you might say like,
[00:05:35.017]"Oh I wonder what's gonna happen
[00:05:36.307]"if you stack them this way."
[00:05:38.400]Notice that's not a, "If you stack them,
[00:05:41.017]"they're gonna fall," right?
[00:05:42.120]It's really not giving that child an opportunity
[00:05:44.220]to predict what might happen.
[00:05:46.837]"How many Legos do you think we need?"
[00:05:48.840]you know, doing some experimentation if they're thinking
[00:05:51.390]about making their own tower or wanting to create
[00:05:56.040]a structure, that's gonna hold up
[00:05:58.020]maybe some of their toy cars.
[00:06:00.097]"Well, how many Legos do you think we need?"
[00:06:01.830]Or, "How are you gonna create that?"
[00:06:03.930]and set that experiment up to see
[00:06:06.090]if it's gonna hold all that weight.
[00:06:08.940]And then, really, with toddlers,
[00:06:10.740]this is a great tool to talk about cause and effects.
[00:06:13.740]So if I do X, then next,
[00:06:18.150]this will happen, right?
[00:06:20.010]So, "Oh, look, that block fell off. It was too heavy."
[00:06:23.280]So that opportunity to think about cause and effect
[00:06:25.200]and how their actions or the tools that they're using
[00:06:28.620]might cause and affect something to happen.
[00:06:32.520]Other words you could explore or incorporate
[00:06:35.040]into some of the phrases or questions you could ask include,
[00:06:38.280]like: let's solve this; maybe we need to move spaces
[00:06:43.860]from when we're doing.
[00:06:44.850]We know that in science the environment
[00:06:47.554]and how you explore and wait for a scientific project
[00:06:52.770]to take place are really important.
[00:06:56.280]Noticing when things are ready and using words
[00:06:59.370]like first, then, and next.
[00:07:00.540]We know there are procedures in science.
[00:07:02.220]So all of these things help contribute in the future
[00:07:05.730]when children are doing their own science experiments
[00:07:08.400]or having to apply science skills.
[00:07:14.190]Now, no surprise, right, math.
[00:07:17.130]This seems to be a sort of
[00:07:19.440]really comfortable area that I know as a parent
[00:07:22.740]I feel pretty good about using with blocks.
[00:07:26.820]There are other ways too, though,
[00:07:28.170]that you can use mathematics
[00:07:29.970]across all age groups, from toddlers through early childhood
[00:07:34.530]and into elementary ages.
[00:07:37.020]So some of the things that kids learn
[00:07:39.990]when they're playing with mathematics is, you know,
[00:07:42.090]the straightforward, which is sort of counting.
[00:07:44.460]Now, I remember when my child was a toddler
[00:07:46.680]I'd line out three blocks and I'd say,
[00:07:48.607]"Let's count. One, two, three."
[00:07:51.780]But beyond counting, you can also say like,
[00:07:54.217]"Well, how many Legos did you use?
[00:07:56.857]"Why did you use that many?"
[00:07:58.590]Or helping draw their attention to the quantities
[00:08:03.060]of blocks or Legos they're using like,
[00:08:05.287]"Hey I see you have a group
[00:08:06.937]"of three yellow blocks over there.
[00:08:09.727]"I have five blue ones over here.
[00:08:12.067]"Which one's bigger? Which one's smaller?"
[00:08:14.130]and count in terms of the amount.
[00:08:16.890]And really even labeling the shapes.
[00:08:18.900]You know, if you look at the chart with more words,
[00:08:22.710]it can start simply with circle or square,
[00:08:25.770]rectangle, triangle, but then move
[00:08:27.330]into more complex language like hexagon and octagon,
[00:08:32.440]and thinking about helping children understand
[00:08:35.910]even like patterns.
[00:08:37.680]You know, "Wow, you made a pattern, look at that.
[00:08:40.777]"You have a square yellow block
[00:08:43.982]"and then two red rectangles."
[00:08:46.950]You're bringing those different areas
[00:08:49.470]where they might learn quantity, characteristics,
[00:08:54.900]and then repeating
[00:08:56.700]in the name of the shape and in its color.
[00:09:01.710]What is a really kind of cool piece
[00:09:04.590]I'd like to talk about, in case you're wondering,
[00:09:07.500]what are these prepositions
[00:09:08.730]and why does it fall under mathematics?
[00:09:11.580]So early childhood, and really in that, like,
[00:09:16.230]starting at about two and a half, three,
[00:09:18.480]all the way up to age eight,
[00:09:20.310]children are trying to start exploring
[00:09:24.690]their particular location within the proximity of an object.
[00:09:30.630]So you can help them think about that
[00:09:33.930]by using words like over, side, below, next.
[00:09:38.370]Think about when you're doing an adding
[00:09:40.530]or subtraction number, right, it says,
[00:09:42.277]"Two plus, what's the number that comes next?"
[00:09:45.600]So blocks are a really great opportunity to say like,
[00:09:48.577]"Oh you're next to the green block.
[00:09:51.037]"And then I think over there you wanted
[00:09:53.467]"to grab the green one so you can place them side by side."
[00:09:57.510]These propositions, or these pre-positions
[00:10:00.180]are a really great way to help children understand
[00:10:02.880]their positioning in relationship to an object.
[00:10:10.530]Real quick, I'm gonna go over some pre-reading skills.
[00:10:13.020]So these particular questions I have up on the screen
[00:10:17.640]are really great prompts to encourage children
[00:10:22.680]in using vocabulary
[00:10:26.040]or having an opportunity to listen to speakers.
[00:10:30.990]So when I talk about expressive and receptive,
[00:10:33.630]this expressive part is what a child is talking about,
[00:10:37.200]them expressing what it is that they're doing
[00:10:39.900]using vocabulary in their words.
[00:10:42.150]They often do this through telling stories,
[00:10:45.120]their pretend play you might see it.
[00:10:47.220]And receptive is their ability to hear the words
[00:10:50.400]that you are saying, understand it,
[00:10:53.460]and then know what you mean by it.
[00:10:55.950]So if I say something like,
[00:10:57.187]"What is the difference between this red block
[00:11:01.447]"and this orange block?" receptive means their ability
[00:11:05.460]to understand the word difference and then
[00:11:09.390]figure out between the two blocks what's different.
[00:11:12.330]And we would hope that their expressive word
[00:11:15.540]would be like, "Oh, the colors," right?
[00:11:17.880]But you can see now when we get
[00:11:19.740]into this pre-reading skills,
[00:11:22.920]how the areas we talked about just a little bit before
[00:11:26.910]all really are interwoven with one another.
[00:11:30.750]They all have the ability to shape and influence
[00:11:34.431]each of these different skills.
[00:11:40.230]And then let's just, you know,
[00:11:43.050]explore a little bit about this idea of motor development.
[00:11:45.750]So, typically, young children have two types
[00:11:47.910]of, motor development.
[00:11:49.740]There's their whole body, of course,
[00:11:51.480]but then you tend to hear words
[00:11:54.150]like fine and gross motor skills.
[00:11:56.100]Fine motor skills are really those smaller
[00:12:00.000]movements like using their fingers and hand-eye coordination
[00:12:03.780]to help them pick up smaller objects like Legos.
[00:12:06.930]We can always tell when children move from Duplos to Legos
[00:12:10.530]because they've gotten a little bit stronger
[00:12:12.720]in their hand muscles,
[00:12:14.370]and so they're a little bit strengthened
[00:12:16.170]to be able to do that.
[00:12:18.180]And then ways that you can help to facilitate
[00:12:22.200]both fine and gross motor skill could be things
[00:12:24.240]like building, again, on this last concept of mathematics,
[00:12:29.460]but saying things like,
[00:12:30.293]"You placed the car under the bridge you made,"
[00:12:34.020]and that lets them know like their relationship
[00:12:36.420]and saying you took this and put it under.

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Block Play Session: Nebraska Extension Family Engagement Conference

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